Place in Time
by a red burn
Summary: She doesn't remember saying 'I do'. BB
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
Author: Andréa  
Summary: She doesn't remember saying 'I do'. BB. Post season finale.  
A/N: Hey all! This is my first attempt on a Bones fic. I hope you all enjoy it! Read and review if you like!  
Also, this was inspired by Kate's amazing _Mind's Eye _(a LOST fic).

Disclaimer: They belong to Fox and a lot of other people, not me /

Thank you so much Katie for beta-ing it for me. Any mistakes blame her! -g-

**In physics, a couple is defined as a pair of forces equal in magnitude, acting in opposite directions.**

-

She rounded the corner of the dark alley, following her partner running only a few steps ahead of her, in spite of him basically ordering her to go back to the car and keep herself safe. Four seconds after he had taken off, she had gone after him. She wasn't going to miss the fun. But as her feet touched the narrow and long street of the alley, she felt the ground sticky and dirty under her boots, and the smell of urine didn't make the place any more bearable.

She wrinkled her nose.

She could see Booth jumping over the fallen garbage their possible criminal had thrown in the way to make the agent's passage more difficult, and had drawn his gun up, yelling at the man to stop. But he didn't. She really hated it when suspects thought a bullet couldn't hurt them. Booth, though, wasn't one to shoot when there were other possible ways to resolve the situation. Brennan didn't think there _were_ any other ways to stop the runaway and if _she_ had a gun she'd just shoot the guy's leg and get it over with. Sure, that would bring a lot of glares to her direction, but the guy would be caught. Besides, it was just the leg, how much damage it could be done?

Too bad Booth didn't think the same.

She watched as he ran after Josh Alberts. The guy had long legs and wide stride and was a good way ahead of Booth, there was no way Booth would catch him without shooting, and he wouldn't. Josh Alberts reached a dead end though, when the wired wall appeared in front of him, or so Brennan thought. Upon reaching the obstacle, instead of coming to a halt, the guy simply kicked it to the ground and jumped over the fallen fence, escaping through more garbage and going around the next corner.

Booth followed closely behind, the suspect having been slowed down by the fence.

And Brennan was still running after them.

Booth disappeared from her sight as he rounded the corner after Josh Alberts and she quickened her pace, attempting to catch up. They had come across his name while checking phone calls and thinking it would be helpful to ask a few questions, Booth soon found out that he wouldn't be only unhelpful but apparently a key to closing the investigation as Alberts had taken off running as soon as they had knocked on his door. Brennan, being the snoopy anthropologist she was, decided to go around the house, checking in through the windows when she saw him exiting the back door and jumping over the wooden fence.

As she reached the corner she had to stop for a second and catch her breath. How Booth managed to run such long distance without faltering was beyond her comprehension. She looked ahead and searched for Booth and their runaway criminal, catching a glimpse of the black issued FBI suit wavering as the agent ran. God, he was so far ahead of her.

Catching a deep breath she took off again, trying to get as close as possible. She saw him take a harsh turn to his left, into what she believe was another dirty alley. She really like the field work but in moments like this she wished she was back in her lab.

"Well, he did tell you to stay in the car" her inner voice commented and Brennan simply rolled her eyes.

She finally reached the corner Booth had vanished around and gave herself a mental pat on the back for being right about it being just another dirty alley. More smelly this time. She made a face.

"Booth?" She called his name when she saw him cursing silently and kicking some garbage. "You lost him?" Booth gave her a glare, bringing up one finger. "I did _not_ lose him. He just... disappeared." He made sure to annunciate the 'not' a bit stronger, making it clear it was not his fault so the whole fiasco wouldn't take a bite out of his ego.

She shrugged, not really caring about the semantics. He didn't catch the guy either. She walked towards him, further into the smelly alley, her boots making a thumping sound on the hard, pavement covered ground, echoing around them. The laundry building on her left decided it was time to release all the steam out through the large pipe the exactly moment Brennan was passing by it and as the alley suddenly filled with the white smoke, she gave a startled shriek. It brought a grin to Booth's lips, breaking through the current state of frustration.

Now all he could see was the silhouette of her body as she waved her hand around her face to dissipate some of the steam. Then her silhouette was joined by another one, that seemed to simply materialize from the wall and in a rapid fluid motion grab Brennan by the back.

"Bones!" Booth yelled, cocking his gun and pointing it to whoever had grabbed her.

"Hey!" Bones yelled at the same time as Booth, surprised by the sudden grab.

"Don't!" The person holding Brennan yelled, the voice of a male and immediately Booth had an idea of who it was. The son of a bitch had hidden behind something and Booth had missed him when running into the alley. Josh Alberts raised a gun to Brennan's head, when she started to move and use one of her martial blows, and released the safety, making it clear that he would shoot if it was necessary.

"Let her go." Booth warned, his gun drawn, one eye closed as he tried to aim on the man's body. He had no clear shot, especially with the steam still hanging in the air.

"You move and I'll shoot her." The hesitance in his voice gave Booth a bit of hope that Alberts wasn't going to shoot Brennan.

"You shoot her, I'll kill you." Unlike Josh Alberts' voice, Booth's wasn't hesitant, he didn't falter when holding his gun and pointing it at the general direction of Alberts' head. If only he had a clear shot. If only Bones could read his mind or see his eyes and move enough to give him a good spot to shoot without the possibility of hitting her. If only...

Brennan watched as Booth pointed his gun and used his cold, emotionless voice he always used when dealing with criminals and for a second she knew why same bad guys always given in to him. His voice showed no fear or hesitance that he _would_ shoot if necessary. The fear lead them in. She knew better though, she knew he wouldn't shoot as long as Alberts was holding her against his body, using her own as a shield. The fear of hitting her instead wasn't going to let Booth shoot.

The gun constantly forced against her head was cold and hard. She felt a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. What if he did shoot her? There was no way she would live; no way a bullet to the head wouldn't be fatal.

Suddenly her heart started beating faster. Too fast. That's when he felt him hesitate. _You shoot her, I'll kill you_. Booth's words had affected him just as much as it had affected her, but differently. To Alberts, it gave him a bone freezing fear, but to Temperance Brennan, it actually gave her warmth and comfort she didn't expect.

And she knew Booth didn't have a clear shot. He was an excellent shot, he had been a sniper once, and if there was a chance he could shoot the guy without hitting her, he would have done it by now, but she couldn't move. Every time she tried he would hold her tighter, the hand around her throat would squeeze firmly and the gun would be pushed harder against the side of her head.

She was scared.

But he was hesitating. C'mon, Booth, keep talking.

And as if hearing her thoughts, Booth began talking again, "Put your gun down very slowly and let her go. If everything ends well, there will be no one hurt, but if anything happens to her I _will _kill you."

His hand faltered a bit as the gun was taken slightly away from her head. She wasn't feeling the cold metal against her skull anymore and the hand around her neck wasn't as tight as before. Now, if only she could see where the gun was pointed. She was waiting for the right moment, the second he put the gun away from her head enough so she could take the opportunity to kick it away and bring him to the ground, but when it happened, Josh Alberts was faster than Brennan had anticipated. He raised his hand holding the gun and before she could turn and kick him, he brought the butt of the gun down to her head so strongly that it knocked her out.

She fell to the ground with a loud thud, the pain in hear head unbearable as shots exploded around her. As her vision turned black and she blacked out, she could hear her partner calling out her name.

Her last coherent thought was how frightened he sounded.

-

Her nose was assault by the smell of a sterile environment, and as she slowly opened her eyes, the bright light shining from the open window and reflecting on the white walls attacked them. She squinted, trying to block most of the light, the feeling in the pit of her stomach increasing as she forced her eyes open. She had no idea where she was.

With one hand over her eyes to protect them from the bright and florescent light, she opened them almost fully, wrinkling her nose to the smell around her and the complaints of her stomach. Her eyes caught white everywhere, including the thick gown she was wearing. She heard a deep intake of breath right next to her and then a flush of cologne scented wind as whoever was sitting next to her ran to close the curtains and block all the light out.

"Hey." The voice, definitely a male, whispered overly relieved as he hurried next to her again. The voice was very familiar, but through her still blurry mind and sick stomach she couldn't exactly place it. "Sorry about the curtains, I forgot to close them last night."

Booth.

She rolled her head carefully to look at him. Seeley Booth was hunched in the black plastic chair, his eyes glimmering with relief, a soothing smile resting on his lips. "What happened?" She asked, rubbing her eyes with both hands to try and send the fogginess away from her brain.

Before Booth could answer another voice, way too cheerful for Brennan's liking at the moment, filled the room. "Sweetie!" Brennan's witty best friend ran to her side, giving her a tight, but careful, hug. "We were_so _worried."

"I'm fine."

"Well, you _are_ fine now. But with the injury on your head and being unconscious for a couple of days, we just thought..." Her voice faltered as a dark mood overtook Angela's usually happy face. "The doctor said some things that worried us a lot, sweetie."

Head injury? Brennan asked herself as she tried to work through her dizzy mind what happened. Unconsciousness, head injury. Right. She had... She was running after a suspect, Booth ahead of her when she was suddenly grabbed and a gun was forced against her head. The last thing she remembered was hearing Booth call her name. "I didn't think it was that bad." Brennan whispered.

"Oh my God, Bren, it _was_ that bad."

"You could have died." Booth suddenly joined in, his voice dark and weak.

Brennan looked from one to the other, confusion etching itself onto her face. Her head hurt, and her stomach was still complaining. This was too much. She had hit her head, that was all; she couldn't understand why everyone seemed so worried. "Ok, will you two shut up please?" She said as loud as she could, shutting her eyes hard. _God_.

Angela took a hold of Brennan's hand and squeezed it lightly. "I'll just go tell the others you are ok." Pause. "We're really happy you are ok, Bren." And she left the room.

"What is this fuzz all about? I just got hit on head."

"Bones," Booth started, leaning in the bed to gently hold her chin and check the injuries on her face. His touch was light and warm and inviting, just as it was when he barged in the hospital room she had been examined in back in New Orleans, and she almost closed her eyes and melted into his touch. The cop thought they were in a relationship and sometimes Brennan took a dive into wondering that herself. Angela noticed (and made sure to be very clear about it) that cop noticed, Sid often gave them looks and David made not so innocent comments now and then. Often she wished she could be an outsider to see what the rest saw. "You didn't just get hit on the head. It was pretty bad." There was a caution in his voice, as the words spilled out. His thumb came to rest on her bottom lip, where she could feel it had been cut. Suddenly she could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

Her breath rapid and erratic started to return to normal when he leaned back, away from her and took her hand in his. As she looked down at their joined hands, confused, a band around Booth's finger caught the shimmering light, reflecting against her eyes.

There was a lump in her throat as her heart stopped. What was going on? "You're married?" She asked, her voice almost incredulously.

Booth stopped rubbing her hand and his muscles visibly tensed. "Tempe?"

She retrieved her hand from his, a look of confusion on her pale features. "What's going on?"

Again, he reached for her hand and holding it in front of her face, she could see it. There it was, a beautiful ring covered in tiny diamond rocks, placed beside a matching golden band. Fear covered her face.

Booth matched her look of confusion and fear as he ran a hand through his messy, thick, dark hair. "Tempie..." Her name sounded forlorn in her ears when coming from his lips. She was so used to hearing him call her Bones that she had become familiar with it. He never called her Tempie, he never did.

"I don't know-" She started, desperate, but was cut off by him.

"Bones," He said instead, noticing her discomfort, "What's the last thing you remember?"

She forced her mind to work. The teenage girl they were working on, Booth running, she running after him, after the suspect... "I got hit on the head by... by..." Blank. "Josh something. He grabbed me and wouldn't back down. I was going to kick him to the ground but he hit me instead." She tried to remember anything after that, but she couldn't. Her mind was nothing but blackness.

Booth's face turned into a complete mask of fear and sympathy for her. He tried to comfort her, his voice as soft as possible. "Tempe," He noticed her muscles tense at him using that nickname, but tried not to dwell on it, "It's been almost three years since that case."

-

TBC.

Cliché right? I know, BUT this is not what you think ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

A/N: OMG thank you so much for the reviews! They made my day!

Ataea: well, there WILL be a lot more of BrennanHurtBoothComfort and BoothAngstingOverBrennan )  
Corinna McDonald: yup, confusing I know, but hopefully it'll get clearer with time. B's-Crown-Vic: you're wrong on all accounts haha :P

I have no idea how hospital release works since I have never spent time there myself. It's a shot in the dark here! And I noticed that in the fist chapter 2 paragraphs got snatched together a couple of times, which caused (I'm sure) confusion. I don't know how to fix that -well, I DO, but I'm hesitant on doing so for fear it will mess up something.

Note: Katie aka Candyflossrain is the ruler of the whole world...she rocks, even if she is American...muahahaha  
Note 2: Katie's the one who posted the Note. I have nothing to do with it.

-

The fear that shot through her spine was nothing like she ever felt before. Maybe, if she tried she could place it next to when she found out her parents weren't coming home. That though, happened day by day where, as hard as it was, she started accepting it and had begun to move on with her life. But this? This was nothing like that. She simply could not remember nearly 3 years of her life, she couldn't not remember marrying her partner, hell, when she started dating him, why, how, or... or their first kiss.

Or...

No, this could not be happening.

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, her breath erratic, her heart beating twice as fast. Her mouth was dry and she needed some water desperately, but the current situation she found herself in was more important than giving her body the deserved relief. Her head was starting to hurt more as she forced her brain to remember, to catch any glance of light in the deep blackness that her mind was in. There was nothing, simply not a sound, nor an image or a feeling after she hit her head. Nothing. Just deep, vast black.

Like the Universe.

"Temperance." Booth called her name softly, his hand resting on hers, squeezing it gently. She looked up and he saw the tears she was fighting back reddening her eyes. Her heart had stopped cold in her chest. "You don't remember anything at all after that?"

She stared at Booth, her _husband_, with panic in her eyes. How could her mind simply erase years of her life? How could she feel as if those years had never happened?

Oh god. She was married to Booth. Married. That was just not possible. How could she simply not remember?

"I don't remember _anything_." Her voice was distant. He knew she was scared. After years of being in Brennan's life, he knew her better than anyone.

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes to take everything in. "I'm gonna get the doctor, ok?" He let her know as he stood and walked out of the door.

He came back a couple of minutes later with a tall, dark haired doctor that was fast to introduce herself to Brennan. "Mrs. Booth, I'm doctor Welles." She extended her hand, but Brennan did not take it. Her mind had stopped functioning. _Mrs. Booth_, she thought, exasperated. She never was in a state of mind to have a long-term relationship, let alone _marry_ someone.

How did that change? How did that Temperance Brennan who wouldn't open up to anyone, turn into Mrs. Booth?

Seely Booth happened.

Doctor Welles let her arm fall after Brennan didn't return the gesture, and turned her attention to Booth instead. "Mr. Booth, I told you she had a severe head trauma and memory loss is very common in injuries like that."

"But how long will it last?" He asked, glancing quickly at Brennan.

The doctor sighed and gave them both a sympathetic look. "Unfortunately, this is where I can't help you. This type of injuries is very unpredictable and memory loss is something we don't have an answer to. It can last a few hours, it can last some days, weeks or even years."

"Is it possible that she will never..." Booth found himself unable to finish the sentence, letting it hang loose in the air.

"Mr. Booth," There was a short pause, "That is a possibility." Upon seeing the distressed expression on his face, the doctor tried to think positive, "In most cases though the affected person's memory comes back after contact with familiar environment. Seeing pictures often helps, as well as just going through the daily routine the person was used to."

Booth nodded his head tiredly and gave the doctor a grateful smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thank you, doctor."

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help. The rest is up to her." The doctor took a quick glance at Brennan while saying this. "I'll just make a quick check up on her and if everything is all right, she can leave in a couple of hours." And proceeded to do just that.

Booth nodded and thanked the doctor again. Then his eyes fell on the quiet Brennan, which was incredibly scary because Bones wasn't one of being so quiet. Or being quiet _at all_. This whole situation was upsetting her more than anyone and seeing Brennan this troubled made his heart want to beat out of his chest. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand, hold her to him and tell her everything would be all right, but in truth, he couldn't. He didn't know how she'd react to that show of affection and he himself had no idea if everything would be all right or if she would ever recover her memory.

A sad sigh escaped from his lips, catching Brennan's attention. She took her eyes from the doctor and looked at him with a questioning expression and he gave her a reassuring smile, a reassurance that he didn't feel himself.

Finishing up with Brennan, doctor Welles scribbled something down on her notepad and smiled at both of them. "Everything seems fine. I'll just get the release process ready and you can leave."

Booth nodded his thanks as the doctor left the hospital room. Now he was alone with Brennan and for the first time in years he felt awkward being in the same room with her. Before it could get any weirder, there was a knock on the door and when Booth turned around to see whom it was, Angela was already entering. He'd have to thank her later for the great timing.

"Feeling better, sweetie?"

"No!" She said like a petulant child, "I can't accept that." Brennan shook her head slightly. "I still can't remember anything."

"Remember anything?" Angela whirled around and faced Booth, hands on hips and glare on her face, "What is she talking about?"

"It's ok, the doctor said it'll come back with time. Hopefully." Brennan continued.

"What in heavens will?" She turned back to Brennan, the glare now directed at her. "Can anyone have the decency of telling me what's going on here?"

"The concussion was severe and memory loss is very common. I'm pretty sure I'll remember everything once I'm out of the hospital and back-" Her sentence was cut off by the sudden thought that flooded her mind and Angela's worried voce. She was going back to Booth's... no, _their_ place; their _home_. She couldn't go back to her apartment because she didn't have one anymore, she was married to Booth, which required her to be living with him. _Oh my God._.

"Oh my God! You have amnesia?"

"Who has amnesia?" Everyone turned to look at the new presence in the room. Jack Hodgins waved awkwardly.

"Bren has!"

"Dr. Brennan, are you all right?" Zach Addy asked, and as Brennan looked at him she noticed how he was slightly older looking.

"Of course she's not all right!" Angela shot at him. "She doesn't remember anything!" Then turning around, she took two steps to Brennan's bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Bren, honey, there is nothing you remember?"

She shook her head sadly. "Nothing after I was knocked out-"

"Which time?" Angela interrupted, her opinion that she wasn't in agreement with Brennan going out of the lab so often and getting herself hurt pretty obvious on the artist's face.

"Look, she just needs some time, ok?" Booth finally spoke, looking at all of them. "The pressure is not going to help."

"It for sure won't do any damage, man. She doesn't remember a thing anyway." Hodgins' brutal honesty had always been a problem to people, especially when he thought such honesty was necessary and the poor bug man usually forgot whom he was dealing with when using said honesty in front of Booth.

He received a reprimanding look from Angela and a death glare from the agent and as usual, Hodgins stared him down until Booth's glare became too much and Jack simply coughed, taking a step back, averting his eyes.

Well, Brennan thought depressed, at least some things didn't change.

And it was confirmed when Booth started to argue with the squints, Angela throwing in sexual innuendos, Hodgins trying to show himself knowing more than the rest and Zach trying to shrink out of this. And amidst all of this they forgot the most important thing: Brennan and her current state of amnesia.

A pounding pain was starting to grow inside her skull making her wish she was anywhere else than this ghostly room and this loud chattering around and this... this alternative universe she woke up in. "Will all of you just shut up!"

The chatter immediately died.

Booth's focus fell on Brennan and how she was rubbing her hands against the sides of her head. Leaving the circle of argumentative people, he sat on the bed ad replaced her hands with his, rubbing gently. His touch was warm and soothing and she was so tired; she let herself close her eyes and enjoy his comforting gesture. "We will be out of here soon, ok babe?"

Her muscles tensed and she opened her eyes with a start at the word 'babe', the way she was so relaxed in his touch changing to one of nervousness and discomfort.

"Sorry." He murmured, letting his hands fall from her head. And then there was the awkward moment again, which, _again_, was saved by Angela.

"Bren, sweetie, we're gonna go." She said, speaking for all the squints, who nodded in agreement. "You need to rest and you will be out of here soon, _thank God_." Angela walked to the bed and gave Brennan a quick hug. "Bye sweetie. Anything, you call me ok?"

"Yeah, Angela." She nodded, a fake smile forming on her lips as she hugged her best friend back. "Thanks."

Angela waved goodbye as she walked to the door and gave Booth one last glance before shooing everyone out and leaving.

"When I went home to shower and change I packed some stuff for you." Booth opened the small brown closet and took a duffel bag out of it, placing it on the plastic chair he was formerly occupying. "Just a change of clothes that you could wear to go home."

She eyed the bag curiously before reaching one hand out to grab it. Before she could move too much, though, Booth placed the bag on her lap and opened the zipper. "Thanks."

He reclaimed his place in the plastic chair and watched as Brennan took the contents out of the duffel bag. A pair of blue jeans, a white button up shirt, a black button up sweater and a pair of low heel boots. She remembered the boots; she had had them for a long time. She loved them.

"You remember them?" She looked startled at Booth. What? He could read her mind now? "You stared a little too long at them." He said and gave her a smile.

She couldn't help but smile back. "They're old."

"I know, but you love them."

Brennan smiled inwardly. In spite of it all she found very comforting Booth's care for her, that wasn't something that had changed. "Yeah." And for the third time in the last several minutes they fell into an awkward silence. "I'll just... change."

"Ok."

Brennan started to stand and Booth hurried to her side and helped her up, she certainly wasn't aware of all the injuries she had achieved and only now, struggling to get up and feeling her whole body sore she wondered just how _bad_ the accident really was. Booth's gentle hands on her elbow and back made her thoughts drift though, from what had happened to send her to a hospital bed unconscious for two days to how wonderful the warmth of his skin felt against her own.

A red hue found its way up her neck and ears.

"Thanks." She whispered embarrassed he could have such effect on her.

"It's ok." He then proceeded to untie her hospital gown, which sent alarms in her head.

"What are you doing?" Her voice panicking and she stepped away from him.

"I was just..." Confusion was all over his face, and then it dawned on her; he was her husband, he was used to _undressing_ her. God, now she was really embarrassed.

"I'm... I'm sorry-"

"It's ok." He repeated, cutting her off. "I'll just wait outside. I keep forgetting you're not... yourself."

"Booth?" She called her name, the hint of sadness in her voice not lost on him. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and looked at her. She wanted to tell him to stay, to just turn around while she changed, he didn't need to leave, but that's not what came out of her mouth. "I'm really am sorry."

"It's not your fault." He said and left the room, leaving a sad looking Temperance Brennan all alone in the white sterile smelling room.

-

Ok, so due to certain coincidences, I'm not sure if I should continue. I don't want to write a fanfic similar to one that there already is in the Bones fanfic world since it seems to be bothering some (the writer of the other fic is probably one) I don't want to cause any problems to others and myself. If I had any idea there was another fic like this one, for sure I wouldn't have started this one ;) I guess great minds think alike. I sincerely apologize for any similarity.

So, if this is a problem, please, let me know and I'll stop, if not, let me know too so I'll continue :)

ps: my friend has brought to my attention that Bones should have a bit more "omg where the hell are my bones!" kinda reaction. But I don't know. She has so much going on in her mind that maybe she's a bit too shocked. What do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews, I'm so happy you guys like it

mp: There's a reason I won't dwell too much on Booth's pov. What you get from him is basically what Brennan does. ;)

Juwist: yikes! Ok so other than the 'memory loss' mine is completely different. You won't see any marriage drama/angst. That's how my little world functions. If a fictional couple can't have a happy relationship what's left for us poor mortals :(

last a/n: sorry the delay! I got a bit stuck (even though I knew what I wanted) plus I got distracted working on this vid I'm trying to make, which btw, I gave up on, ugh what a stupid thing! I hate wmm D:

b/n: Haha, see, I'm creative. b/nbeta notes. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Katie is still really really AWESOME and you should send her cookies and presents and buy her Doctor Who season 1 and...you should kidnap David Tennant for her and...

Yeah...she rocks. :D

A/n 2: hmmm disregard her mental state. I'm not really sure of it myself.

-

It had been only several minutes later when Booth came back holding two paper cups filled with hot steaming coffee. The smell awakened Brennan's appetite and she took one cup from him, thanking him for smuggling the caffeine into the room. Brennan was already dressed and ready to go.

As she was undressing herself, she stared at every bruise covering her pale skin, as it was uncovered inch by inch. Not that she had that many, just a few on her hip, the left side covered with a purple stain and dried blood marking her skin. Her left shoulder wasn't much different; a little less visibly bruised, but it hurt more. A few scratches here and there, but overall it wasn't that bad. Not that she could see anyway. Her mind was stuck on how she lost three years of her life and the overdrive working of the gray mass wouldn't allow her to dwell much on anything else.

How could she simply forget? The question wouldn't leave her alone. Yes, she knew a blow to head on certain parts would cause memory loss, she knew all the scientific details that would lead to such unfortunate event, she had proof, she was living it, and yet, she simply could not understand.

She had told Booth once her most meaningful relationships were with dead people, and the few ones she managed to have with the living ended up badly and she was the one to be blamed. She didn't put any effort on them, any emotional bond. The last relationship she could remember was with David and although she had been seeing him for quite a while she wasn't emotionally involved in it.

How did that Temperance become the one married to Booth? How did that happen, how did he manage to break through her walls, bring them down, enough to convince her to marry him? God, she had to have it _bad _to marry him. How _did_ he break through her walls? If she spent a ridiculous small time on it she'd see that he cracked her wall bit by bit from the moment they started working together. Yes, he did have an effect on her, but _that_?

She had been stopped from thinking too hard on it when the smell of coffee reached her nose, making her stomach growl. Taking a careful sip from the cup, she let her eyes close as the warm liquid made its way down her throat. It felt nice.

"I already paid everything so we can leave as soon as you're ready."

She nodded and moved the cup from her right hand to her left, using her right hand to hold the duffel bag and place the strap over her shoulder.

"Here," Booth extended his hand and took the duffel bag from her. "I'll take it."

Brennan let him take the bag and gave him small, awkward smile as thanks and as Booth walked out of the room she suddenly found herself unable to move. She wasn't going back to the safety of her apartment or the familiarity of the lab; no, she was going to the house she shared with him. God, how could she deal with it? The last time she remembered sharing a place with someone it was still in college. And this was _Booth._

"Tempie, are you all right?"

This time she didn't flinch of him saying her nickname, she barely acknowledged it. She responded with her usual drawled out 'yes' and shook her head. "I'm fine." She whispered without looking at him, her eyes glued to the white tiled floor.

Booth walked back into the room, closer to her. "Hey," He said softly, putting one hand on her good shoulder, immediately feeling her muscles tense and her take one step away.

"I said I'm fine." She shot much harder than she intended and made her way out of the room leaving a very stunned Booth behind.

He hurried after her to catch up. "Bones!" He called out but she didn't slow down until she reached the elevators, the pain on her hip doing nothing to stop her.

She stood there without looking at him, her arms crossed and lips pressed tightly together. She pushed the elevator button again, harder.

"Bones, c'mon, look at me."

The tired tone in his voice sent a guilty pang in her heart, but when she looked at him her expression didn't change. Ok, she was upset, he got that, but there was absolutely _nothing _he could do. He knew she was only protecting herself by pushing him away. It had worked before, but now there was no way she'd succeed, not after living with the woman for as long as he had and_really_ knowing her.

"Just... just take me home ok? I'm really tired." The ding of the elevator stopped Booth from saying whatever he wanted to say and Brennan got in.

Booth sighed as he followed her.

-

They were still in silence when they stepped out into the parking lot and Booth turned off the alarm of the car, which Brennan wasn't surprised to find was a black SUV. He opened the back passenger door and threw the duffel bag inside, then opened the front passenger door for Brennan; she got in, giving him a smile and he closed the door afterwards.

The sky was cloudy and ugly looking. The gray, depressing color almost similar to her mood.

Halfway through the drive home the silence was broken when Brennan, in a small, almost shy voice, asked what had happened.

Booth looked askew at her, the fear in his eyes betraying the tough exterior he was trying to show. "You got in a hmm... car crash."

She looked outside her window, at the scenery passing by fast. It looked familiar. "How?" And after a moment she turned to look at him, her body shifting closer to his seat, as she always did when riding in a car with him.

She saw him grip the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. Ok, so, Angela _did_ say it was that bad. "I told you so many times your car would make my FBI façade look bad." He shook his head. "I called you because I needed you on a murder site. You were halfway to the lab and instead of driving there to grab Zach, switch to a SUV, do whatever you do, you turned around to meet me."

"And?" She asked when he didn't continue.

"Your convertible is not a really strong car." He gave her a smile as he took his eyes from the road for a second to look at her. "The woman was talking on the cell phone and didn't see the light go red. Your luck was that the other car wasn't on high speed when it hit you." He bit on his bottom lip for a moment. "There was just… so much blood you know." He said quietly. "And now your silver convertible has sprinkles of black from the car that hit you." His clenched teeth let her know it wasn't a topic he'd like to dwell much on, but being the intelligent but clueless woman she was, she kept pushing for details.

"What about the woman? What happened to her? Was I unconscious when you got to there? Did the car get too wrecked?"

"Bones!" He put one hand up in front of her face to shut her up, which she did immediately, her attention completely on him. "You know, I forgot that you losing your memory also means your social skills have not improved at all." And at her confused look, he added, "This is not a subject I really want to talk about."

"Oh." And suddenly the confused look changed to one of understanding. "Sorry." She murmured, her voice sounding a little hurt, as she looked out of the window again. She just wanted to know what had happened to make her lose 3 years of her life. It was her right. "You're mad at me now."

"I'm not... I'm _not_ mad at you, Bones." He sighed, taking a quick glance at her. How did she always manage to become this vulnerable when she was so strong? "You just have no idea how it was. I thought you were _dead_."

She turned again in her seat, facing him.

"It just still hurts to talk about it. It wasn't a really nice feeling you know."

"I'm sorry." She did sound truly sincere this time.

"When I went to pay the hospital bills I talked to the doctor. She gave me a prescription of the meds you're gonna need."

She knew the previous topic was over. "Ok." She nodded. "Lots of pain killers I imagine."

He let out a throaty laugh, it was contagious and soon she found herself smiling at him. "Unless you'd rather stay in pain till you're properly healed."

"No thanks, I'll pass."

They fell into silence again, except this time it was far from awkward. Brennan felt the familiarity of the drive comforting as they fell into their old habit. Or at least it was old now, as it had been 4 years since they started working together and the drives were a routine on their cases. Did he allow her to drive now, though? It'd be interesting to find out.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the car came to a stop in front of a drugstore.

"I'll be right back." Booth let her know as he waved the prescription in front of her and got off the car. She nodded and watched as he strode into the store. He didn't take long, though, soon he was back with a plastic bag full of medicine and she made a face at it. _God_.

Booth opened his door and threw the plastic bag at her before getting inside. She opened the bag and peeked. They were mostly pain killers, some bandages, cleaning products for the many cuts and bruises over her face -her head still hurt and the bandage covering the throbbing point of impact was starting to scratch. "This is not going to be nice." She thought out loud and looked over at Booth when she realized she _did _voice her thoughts.

He shrugged. "Sorry. But to be honest, I'm more glad you're alive than sorry you're going to be in a bit of a pain."

"That isn't really comforting." She murmured, rolling her eyes.

-

She knew her surroundings felt familiar before, when Booth was driving them home because it _was _home, but... his. The pastel colored two story house with vivid green grass was the same as she remembered from previous visits -one of which was very awkward what with having Tessa semi naked only wearing one of Booth's white button up shirts, which was hardly covering anything.

Ugh, that was a memory she wouldn't miss _at all_, but of course it had to be one to stick with her. Figures.

"So..." Booth started, bringing her out of her reverie. "We're here. Do you...?"

"Yeah." She waved him off. "Oh yeah, I do remember." Thoughts of Tessa dressed in Booth's shirt was making her stomach flip flop and not in a good away. It certainly wasn't jealousy, not at all, no. She just didn't like Tessa. She had always been a bit too stuck up for her liking. She couldn't understand how she and Booth were ever an item, it was just a very weird combination.

'But you and Booth make quite a pair, eh?' A voice, much similar to Angela's, found its way in her inner musings. Wasn't that exactly what she had told Booth once?

"Bones?" She looked at him, already out of the car, holding his door open to talk to her. "You ok?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out for a second."

He smiled at her, understanding, and closed his door. Walking around the car, he helped Brennan out and led the way to the front door. She waited nervously while he fished the set of keys out of his pocket, only now realizing that she was going to see this house as _her _home for the first time.

-

TBC.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you so much for all your kind reviews, I appreciate them

Ok, I promised myself I -wouldn't- say anything but from your reviews people you're so not anywhere _near _finding out what's going to happen, which is _wonderful_ because then it'll make then ending even more surprising :D (well I hope it'll be surprising anyway)

I know this is kinda slow right now, but it's necessary, I need to get this over with first, I can't just throw Brennan in a marriage ;) So bear with me for a little while, after this chapter, things are gonna start getting a bit more exciting (I think/hope) Don't let the slowness discourage you from reviewing, though. Remember what I said in the first chapter.

Also, in the last chapter I wrote that Booth lived in a house. Well, I watched the episode Brennan goes to his place several times and from the light and plants I could see outside the door when Booth opened it, it seemed to me it was a house, specially with Parker and all. So, if I'm mistaken and he actually lives in an apartment, ooops, sorry D:

invis: there will be kissing (lots of it or else I'm a dead girl to a certain person) but only further into the fic.  
Bella-mi-amore: thank you. it kind of struck me at last minute!  
canadianagurl: we'll see. I wouldn't be my life on it though.

last but not least: sorry the delay. Jerilee and I were working on the BB fansite, so it occupied most of my time! friggin' gallery :D Just take a peek at my userinfo and get the website url.

B/N:D

-

Booth dropped the set of keys in the bowl on side table by the door and stepped aside to let Brennan in. It wasn't weird to be entering this house, she had been here before, but what gave her a strange feeling was the fact that it was now her house also. And _that _made her hesitant. She couldn't possibly imagine herself opening up so truly to someone like it seemed. What had Seeley Booth done to her to make that happen?

She stepped in carefully, her eyes sweeping over everywhere visible. She caught sight of an Aztec mask hanging on the wall by the door. _Her _Aztec mask. Old paintings on the walls she recognized as hers and others she didn't but she knew were hers because they were her kind of thing. And the further she entered, the more she spotted things that belonged to her. It was surreal. It was like the Twilight Zone, Angela would say, whatever the Twilight Zone was. She remembered Angela using that sentence whenever something felt out of place.

Seeing her stuff sitting amongst Booth's was... overly out of place.

She felt Booth shifting beside her and it caught her attention away from the subject of the moment. She turned around to look at him; he looked nervous. She couldn't remember the last time he looked nervous. "Booth?"

"It's just..." He chuckled as he stuck his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. "I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should show you around or just... you know, be normal."

She stood there, staring at him. If _he_ didn't have a clue as to what to do, she was even more clueless, for Brennan she had never lived in the house, or... married him. She had no idea what to do herself, all she wanted was to go back her own apartment, crash on her bed, hopefully sleep for a couple of weeks and forget this was all happening. She realized a little too late how selfish that thought was; she wasn't taking in consideration Booth's feelings at all.

She shrugged and was about to reply something pointless when her eye caught the orange of her couch; the same double couch, with the same cushions placed to face the large TV. But what _really_ caught her attention were the several frames on the large table resting against the back of the couch. One in particular made her freeze on her spot. _Oh my God_.

It hadn't yet registered in her brain this new situation; sure, she was aware of it all, but deep down she kept hoping Angela would pop up from somewhere and tell her it was all a joke, tell her she just wanted Brennan to relax and have fun and probably would quote some show on TV that was unknown to her that'd let her clueless as always and every thing would be back to normal.

The silver frame, considerably bigger than the others, sat in the middle of the table rounded by other smaller, less attractive frames. Although her face out of sight, nearly covered by his on what looked very much like a passionate kiss, the auburn hair was unmistakable, and the white dress was so beautiful. She was there, kissing Booth on their wedding day, a moment caught that would last for a long, long time in that frame.

Her head started spinning; she felt her heart beat pounding against the spot above her nose and in between her eyes, a new headache was starting to form, kicking against her skull.

It was _real_; it was her reality, not a joke from Angela. Oh God, maybe it was a dream; maybe if she slept she would then wake up in her own bed, her senses started screaming, her brain almost on short circuit.

Brennan grabbed the delicate frame and sat heavily on the orange couch, the softness of it sending a soothing feeling of familiarity. Her knuckles started turning white with the force she was holding the frame, as she stared incredulous at it. She felt the space next to her on the couch sink and a warmth start enveloping her, then a hand gently covering hers, massaging it, relaxing her enough to soften her hold on the frame and take it from her. She didn't feel the other sneak behind her and rub circles on her back.

Booth held the frame in front of them, and looked at Brennan. Her eyes were red and it seemed as if a realization had just hit her, which it probably did. "Hey." He whispered, his hand still on her back. "It's ok, shhh, I'm right here. You'll gonna get your memory back, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Her voice was so weak and small he almost didn't hear her.

"You _will_." The certainty in his voice gave her strength to look at him. "You will remember this day, you will remember when you agreed to marry me, you will remember Angela dragging you from store to store to buy everything you'd need for the wedding and complaining to me about it." His hand on her back felt the light shake a chuckle caused, giving him the needed courage to hold her chin her turn her eyes to him; the tears were almost coming out.

She was so relaxed in his touch, it felt so oddly right. "I don't understand..." her sentence was cut short when the tears finally made their way out and a sob couldn't be held back. She fell into his embrace when he reached his arms to envelop her and hold her to him. His arms were strong and warm and firm around her, she felt so secure in them and a sense that everything would be all right overwhelmed her.

She cried into his neck, holding him to her for dear life, while he managed to comfort her like no one else ever had, as she remembered them doing twice before, letting herself be comforted by her husband for the first time.

-

She raised her head at the glass of water held in front of her. Her eyes were red and puffy and it broke his heart. "No thanks." She shook her head slowly, carefully with the stinging pain and simply too tired to make any movement.

Booth sat next to her again, his hand resting above hers; thumb rubbing against her smaller and considerably paler hand. The glass now on the coffee table, making company to the wedding photograph that had been discarded several minutes before, when Brennan had finally gave into exhaustion and let herself cry for overwhelming weight set on her back since she had woken up on that hospital bed.

With the loss of any other option, she was starting to accept.

Her deep shaky breath made him think she was going to cry again, but she didn't, instead, she rubbed her eyes with her free hand and sank down into the couch, her back against cushions. It was uncomfortable. Reaching one hand behind her, she pulled the cushion from her back and threw it on a vacant space. One hand still clasped with Booth's.

"Do you want to eat something? Drink?"

She shook her head. "No. I just want..." She shut her eyes firmly, trying to keep the melancholy tugging at her heart away. "I'm just so tired. My head is about to explode, and I feel pain all over my body." She felt him squeeze her hand gently, and after a pause she continued, looking at him, "I could really use some sleep."

"Oh yeah, sure. Of course you're tired." He stood and used their clasped hands to help her up. Grabbing the glass of water and bag of meds with the other hand, he led her to their bedroom, still with their hands joined. As they climbed the stairs, she passed by several frames hanging on the wall, pictures of moments she didn't remember. She tried not to look too much right now, her brain in overdrive and her body not able to catch up. That was something she would deal with later.

He stopped in front of the door and let her step inside first. The room was large and well decorated with mahogany furniture that had a nice contrast with the light walls, sheets and curtains. A king sized bed was set in the middle of the room, covered in a pale yellow sheets and covers. The closet door was as large as the adjacent wall and she wondered just how many clothes they owned. The chest with 6 drawers on the wall in front of the bed was large enough to home a plasma TV, resting peacefully on top of it.

Following her gaze, Booth had to smile. "Nice, huh? You gave me that TV for our first anniversary." When she turned to look at him, the proud smile was well placed and somehow she had an idea it wasn't for her. The one in the TV room was much nicer so she didn't understand how this one could be more valuable.

It looked new. "When was our... huh..." She couldn't get herself to say the word out loud. Maybe it was because _saying_ it would actually make it more real.

"A few months ago."

"Oh." She avoided his eyes. So they had been married for over a year. Impressive.

"Here." Booth changed the subject as it was obviously awkward to Brennan, and handed her the glass of water, proceeding to get two pain killers from the bag and hand them to her too.

"Thanks."

"Yeah." He shifted awkwardly, not knowing exactly what to do. "I'll just... leave you." He nodded in the direction of the bed.

"Yeah, ok."

They stood there facing each other, Brennan holding the glass in one hand and the painkillers in the other, Booth with his hands inside his pant pockets.

"So..." It had been a long time since it was this awkward with her.

"So..."

"I'll just... leave you to sleep."

"Ok." Brennan nodded and watched as he gave her a nod of his own and left the room. She looked around, feeling incredibly reluctant about moving around, still very unfamiliar with the place. It was HER bedroom, she should feel comfortable, she should feel she _belonged_ there, but she didn't. As she moved around she simply felt it was someone else's bedroom.

She sighed deeply and decided that for now she wouldn't think about it. She swallowed down the painkillers with the water and put the glass on the bedside table, then moved to the closet. Opening the door she gaped at the enormous space inside. Sure, it held both her clothes and Booth's, but still. And that thought brought another one, _their_ clothes. She peeked around inside the closet, looking through the clothes, and her nose caught a whiff of Booth's scent. She tried not to think about it, concentrating on her part of the closet, going through her stuff.

She found old pajamas she recognized and retrieved from the shelf, then stepped out of the closet and walked to the bed, dropping the PJ's on the bed so she could remove her own clothing. Changing into the pair of flannel plaid bottoms and a button up long sleeved top felt nice and she found herself comfortable enough to sleep as she lay on the bed, under the covers, careful with her bruised side.

Before her mind shut down from the world, it recognized the smell on the pillow as Booth's.

-

She opened her eyes to bright fluorescent lights, and squinted them as the light became blindenning and turned her head from it. Her mind was a blur as well as sight as she tried to focus on her surroundings. Everything was white, her brain registered and as she tried to recognize where she was the white clarity was suddenly replaced by a dark blur.

The mattress she lay on was soft but the sheets had a thick texture to it and felt slightly uncomfortable. She tried to focus her eyes on the blur above her and slowly the blur started forming a shape and a face. It resembled Booth so much. Her head was spinning so she brought one hand to her forehead and pressed it against her skull, which send a shot of pain through it.

"Bones?" The Booth look alike blur voiced and approached. She tried to focus on it but her head hurt so much. "Bones!" This time, along with the voice came a slight shake and it only made her whole body hurt. She felt his hands -they felt like hands, or something that was grabbing her-moving from her shoulder and up to her neck. The blur was so close she could feel its breath against her face. But her brain tried to ratiocinate, blurs don't breathe! Her mind started shutting down, however, as she felt the blur-Booth- squeeze her neck tight and stop any air from passing through.

-

Brennan jolted upwards in the bed, her arms swatting around as she grasped for all the air her lungs could possibly hold. The fragments of her dream still fading away as she tried to still her mind and body.

-

TBC.

The next chapter will probably take longer to be done due to the website. There is a lot to do! Plus college started again D:


End file.
